Trial (Part 2)

The intelligence of a level nine Magic Beast is no different from that of an adult human, and some exceptionally gifted ones are even more cunning than people.

After hearing Leian's words, the dark shadow hidden in the gloom finally crossed through the dense branches and leaves, revealing its form on a nearby treetop.

It was a Magic Beast that looked remarkably like a house cat. It was indeed small; excluding its tail, its body was less than a meter long, and its long, fluffy black fur made it look somewhat bloated.

"A level nine Magic Beast, the Phantom Magic Monkey!"

Leian's eyes lit up, and he thought to himself that this was the one.

At a glance, the creature looked exactly like a black cat, and its round head was even three parts cuter than a cat's. Those who did not understand it would have no idea that this was a powerful Magic Beast skilled in concealment and possessing incredible speed.

The Phantom Magic Monkey did not know what Leian was thinking, but Leian's gaze made it feel very displeased; it had toyed with level nine human warriors before, after all.

"Whoosh!"

Without any warning, the Phantom Magic Monkey launched an attack. In the blink of an eye, it crossed dozens of meters and arrived right in front of Leian, its small, sharp claws raking toward his neck like iron hooks.

"Hmm?"

Leian was startled. Although he had already overestimated the speed of the Phantom Magic Monkey, he only realized the true terror of his opponent when facing it head-on.

It was too late to draw his sword, so Leian could only channel his Destruction Battle Qi into his arm and throw a punch.

This was just an ordinary punch, completely devoid of any influence from the power of heaven and earth. In his memory, the defensive capabilities of the Phantom Magic Monkey were not particularly high, and he was afraid that a full-strength blow would severely injure it, causing it to flee in terror, which would be troublesome.

In mid-air, the Phantom Magic Monkey whipped its tail with extreme speed, forcing its body to shift at the very last moment, causing Leian's fist to merely graze its forehead.

At the same time, its tiny, hooked claws slashed across Leian's arm at lightning speed. His protective layer of Battle Qi shattered instantly, and three bloody gashes appeared on his forearm.

The moment the pain hit, Leian slammed his elbow downward, smashing toward the creature.

But the Phantom Magic Monkey reacted with incredible speed. Once the attack failed, it flicked its tail and dropped its body rapidly, causing Leian's elbow strike to hit empty air.

The moment it landed, it pushed off with all four limbs, turning into a black blur as it leaped toward a side tree trunk. The instant it touched the bark, it exerted force again, vaulting toward Leian's back.

This retreat and advance were truly as swift as a rabbit escaping a hawk, moving too fast for anyone to react in time.

But Leian was incredibly experienced. When he caught a glimpse of the black shadow's trajectory out of the corner of his eye, he guessed its intent and immediately turned to throw a hook punch.

However, the Phantom Magic Monkey was no simple creature. As soon as Leian moved, it whipped its tail in mid-air to change direction, avoiding the fist while quickly widening the distance, refusing to give Leian another chance to strike.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk!"

Seeing this, Leian couldn't help but admire the caution of the Phantom Magic Monkey. Of course, its speed also gave him quite a headache.

Do not be fooled by the fact that the Phantom Magic Monkey hadn't gained much of an advantage in speed; one must remember that Leian had fused with a level nine Magic Beast core. Whether in speed, strength, or defense, he was far superior to a normal level nine warrior.

Yet, even so, he was only barely managing to defend himself.

The Phantom Magic Monkey seemed to have sensed Leian's strength and stopped attacking recklessly. However, it had no intention of stopping, instead beginning to circle Leian incessantly, as if looking for an opening.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"

Its speed was extreme, as if it were constantly teleporting. Furthermore, it was impossible to see its form while it was moving; only the moment it pushed off a surface could one catch a glimpse of a black shadow.

Leian naturally could not follow it by turning his body. By now, he had completely merged his mind with the nature of heaven and earth, his heart becoming like a mirror that reflected the area for several meters around him.

This was his further application of the power of heaven and earth after comprehending the realm of "momentum." This level of control made him extremely sensitive to changes in his surroundings, and whenever the Phantom Magic Monkey showed an intention to attack, he could sense it immediately.

The Phantom Magic Monkey was an assassin of stealth; with its intelligence, it would never strike easily if it couldn't find an opening.

In this way, the two sides seemed to reach a stalemate.

However, things could not go on like this forever. Leian worried that if this dragged on, the creature would lose patience and choose to retreat, or pretend to leave while secretly following him to engage in a war of attrition.

Thinking of this, he sighed inwardly; it seemed he had no choice but to use that technique.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, purple-black scales began to emerge on his skin, his limbs rapidly transformed into dragon claws, and dragon horns sprouted from his forehead.

Such a shocking transformation naturally alerted the Phantom Magic Monkey, causing its figure to pause for a split second.

"Good chance!"

Just as the Phantom Magic Monkey faltered, Leian pushed off with both feet and lunged forward like lightning. After his beast transformation, his speed and strength had increased significantly, and his movement was now no match for the Phantom Magic Monkey.

This turn of events was far beyond the expectations of the Phantom Magic Monkey. Its figure flashed as it tried to retreat rapidly into the distance.

But since Leian had already used his beast transformation ability, he would not let his opponent go, and he pursued it closely.

The two chased and fled, resembling two black phantoms flashing rapidly through the desolate forest.

After chasing for a distance, Leian felt a sense of trouble. His body was much larger than the Phantom Magic Monkey's, and he was not nearly as agile in the dense forest. If this continued, he feared the creature would use the environment to shake him off.

Thinking of this, Leian flipped his palm, and a fist-sized magic crystal appeared in his hand.

He squeezed it hard, and the magic crystal shattered into marble-sized fragments. Immediately after, he swung his arm, and the pieces were launched one by one like hidden weapons.

He had picked up these magic crystals while training in the mountain range; there weren't many, and they weren't very valuable, but he hadn't expected them to play a key role at this moment.

The Phantom Magic Monkey was currently using its full strength to escape. After struggling to dodge a few stones, it finally failed to react in time and was struck in the hind leg bone by one of them.

Although the stone was far less hard than its bones, the immense force still caused it a wave of pain, and its speed involuntarily slowed down.

Taking this opportunity, Leian reached out and firmly gripped the Phantom Magic Monkey by the neck, then swung it hard, slamming it violently into the ground.

Thud!

With a dull sound, the ground sank inward. The Phantom Magic Monkey didn't have high natural defense, and after being slammed like this, it was left feeling dizzy and disoriented.

However, Leian had no intention of letting the opponent off; he clearly remembered that the first condition for subduing a Magic Beast was to beat it until it was thoroughly convinced.

Therefore, the moment he landed, his hands did not stop, and he unleashed a flurry of punches upon the Phantom Magic Monkey.

Of course, he controlled his strength, ensuring the strikes were mostly painful without causing the creature any severe injuries.

After a brutal beating, Leian looked down from above and said coldly, "Magic Monkey, with your intelligence, you must be able to understand human language. Submit, or die!"

Originally, Leian thought that since he hadn't completely overwhelmed the creature in speed, subduing it would be somewhat troublesome; he hadn't expected that as soon as his voice fell, the creature would let out a "woo-woo" sound of indignation.

The cry even carried a hint of grievance.

This actually made Leian feel a bit embarrassed, but he didn't forget to take the Master-Servant Contract Scroll out of his ring.

As a stream of Destruction Battle Qi was channeled into the scroll, the brownish-black parchment instantly ignited, and immediately after, a pentagonal, nearly transparent magic pattern emerged from the flames.

Then, this magic array flew directly toward the head of the Phantom Magic Monkey, which did not resist, allowing the magic pattern to merge into its mind.

In an instant, both Leian and the Phantom Magic Monkey felt a soul connection with each other.

Because the magic pattern was formed by Leian's Battle Qi and mental energy, once the Phantom Magic Monkey accepted it, it was completely under Leian's control.

"Do you have a name? What is it?" Leian transmitted via soul communication.

"Selina!"

The Phantom Magic Monkey slowly climbed up and shook the dead leaves off its body, a slightly aggrieved voice echoing in Leian's mind; it still seemed somewhat unconvinced.

Leian found it rather amusing, and just as he was about to have a proper chat with it, a loud noise from the distance interrupted his thoughts.

The sound was extremely powerful, and Leian had a guess in an instant; he leaped up and reached the treetops in a few flashes.

"Boom!"

Just then, another loud noise came, and he was startled to discover that the sound was actually coming from the core area.

Could this really be Saint-level Magic Beasts fighting?

However, as soon as this thought flashed through his mind, an angry roar came from the distance once again.

"Margaret, have you had enough!"